May this scumbag husband, who favored his concubine over his wife, rest in peace.

Wen Yuanshu curtsied: "Something happened on Miss Xie's side."

"Qianjiao?" The old lady's brows furrowed even deeper.

Wen Yuanshu nodded, a hint of difficulty on her face: "Yes..."

The old lady clicked her tongue and said impatiently, "Just say what you have to say!"

Wen Yuanshu sighed and said, "The batch of fabric that Miss Xie bought earlier just arrived. The guard in the storeroom asked Miss Xie to take a look, and something fell out while she was carrying her luggage. It seems to be... Miss Xie's personal belongings."

The old lady was stunned: "What?"

Wen Yuanshu sighed again: "Although I am the mistress of the Marquis's mansion, I dare not make decisions on my own regarding such a big matter. So I can only ask my mother-in-law how to handle this matter?"

"You mean, Qianjiao is having an affair with that person?"

The old lady seemed to have heard the biggest joke in the world.

Xie Qianjiao is her own niece, and she watched her grow up right under her nose. How could she not know who Xie Qianjiao is?

The old lady sneered, "Wen Yuanshu, Wen Yuanshu, I used to think you were a respectable person, but I never expected you to resort to such despicable methods. Is this the kind of upbringing your Wen family's daughters have?"

"You think I'd suspect Qianjiao or even punish her based on just a few words from you? Wen Yuanshu, do you think I'm stupid?!"

Chunhua clenched her clothes almost instantly, and secretly glanced at Wen Yuanshu, wondering why she had to make this trip herself.

Wen Yuanshu remained calm: "Mother-in-law, you've misunderstood. I know you don't believe me, and not only do you not believe me, but I don't believe Miss Xie would do such a thing either. But we have witnesses and physical evidence. If we don't find out the truth, how can we clear Miss Xie's name? I hope you can consider Miss Xie's reputation."

The old lady frowned.

Wen Yuanshu continued, "As the mistress of the household, it is my duty to investigate any incidents that occur in the inner quarters."

Seeing that the old lady still didn't speak, Wen Yuanshu paused and pretended to compromise, saying, "If Mother-in-law really doesn't want to investigate, that's fine. I will go and deliver the message myself. Don't worry, Mother-in-law, I will make sure to explain things clearly to the people below and not let them go around spreading rumors."

After saying that, Wen Yuanshu turned and left.

However, she had only taken a few steps when the old lady instinctively called her back.

"Is there anything else you need, Mother-in-law?"

The old lady looked at her with a complicated expression.

Just as the old lady hesitated, Zhang Mama stepped forward and whispered, "Old Madam, in my opinion, this matter must be thoroughly investigated to give Madam Xie justice. Otherwise, if it is covered up without explanation, it will only give rise to more gossip and be detrimental to Madam Xie."

The old lady was already wavering, and now that even her confidante had said so, she said, "Very well, then bring Qianjiao and that guard up here. I want to question them myself!"

Wen Yuanshu bent her knees slightly and gave Chunhua a wink. Chunhua quickly turned and went out, returning shortly with the person in her arms.

Xie Qianjiao was helped over by Caiwei, and the guard, who was bound hand and foot and pushed over, was also quite handsome.

Bai Tong also came along.

Before the old lady could speak, Wen Yuanshu said, "Mother-in-law, Baitong discovered this first, so I called her here as well."

The old lady hummed in agreement, her complicated gaze falling on Xie Qianjiao.

"Aunt, Aunt!" Xie Qianjiao cried, tears streaming down her face. "I've been wronged! Aunt, you watched me grow up, you know best what kind of person I am!"

“I have been taught by my mother since I was a child that I would never do such a thing! Aunt, you may not believe me, but you cannot disbelieve my mother!”

"Besides, my cousin and I grew up together, how could I possibly be interested in such a lowly guard!"

The old lady's expression of struggle intensified.

Chunhua stepped forward, unfolded the handkerchief, revealing the embroidered character "娇" (jiao, meaning delicate/precious): "The servants of the Marquis's mansion are not allowed to embroider handkerchiefs. Among the masters in the mansion, only you, Madam Xie, have this character on your handkerchief. Moreover, many people in the mansion have seen you use this handkerchief. Now, Aunt Baitong has personally witnessed this handkerchief fall from the guard's body. What explanation do you have for this?"